Umar's ignorance concerning Tayammum

During the caliphate of Umar a man came to him and said: "It is necessary for me to perform ghusl (the bath of ritual purification) but no water is available. What should I do in this circumstance?"

Umar said: "Unless you can obtain water and perform ghusl, you should not offer prayers."

At that time Ammar-e-Yasir, a companion of the Holy Prophet was present. He said: "Umar! Have you forgotten that on one of the journeys you and I happened to be in need of performing ghusl. Since water was not available you did not offer prayers, but I thought the method of tayammum in place of ghusl was that dust should be rubbed on my whole body. So I rubbed dust on my body and offered prayers. When we went to the Holy Prophet, he said, smiling: 'For tayammum this much is sufficient that the palms of both hands be tapped on the ground simultaneously and the palms be rubbed on the forehead; then the back of the right hand be rubbed with the left palm and then the back of the left hand be rubbed with the right palm.' Now why are you telling the man not to offer prayers?"

When Umar could make no reply he said: "Ammar, fear Allah."

Then Ammar said: "Do you permit me to narrate this hadith?" Umar said: "I leave it to you to do what you like."

References:

Muslim Ibn Hajjaj in his Sahih, chapter Tayammum;

Hamidi in Jam'-e-Bainu's-Sahihain, Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal in Musnad, vol.IV, p.265,319;

Baihaqi in Sunan, vol.I, p.209; Abi Dawud in Sunan , vol.I, p.53;

Ibn Maja in Sunan, vol.I, p.200;

Imam Nisa'i in his Sunan, vol.I, pp. 59-61, and others of eminent ulema have in different ways and words, reported it.

Could a man well versed in jurisprudence and who had frequently been in the company of the Holy Prophet and had heard from the Prophet how 'tayammum' should be performed when water was not available tell a Muslim that if he does not find water he should abstain from offering his prayers?

This is particularly strange since the Holy Qur'an tells us that in such a case we should perform 'tayammum.'

The practice of tayammum among the Muslims is so commonly known that even an illiterate Muslim knows that, under certain conditions it takes the place of ritual ablution and the ritual bath.
Now what should we say about a companion of the Holy Prophet and caliph? Shouldn't he be knowledgeable about this matter?

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